


Hearts Encased in Ice

by LinaLuthor



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Childhood Trauma, F/F, Fluff and Angst, but listen it's Dorothea's birthday and I wanted to do something for her, forgive the mistakes too this was written today, light angst tho, no beta we die like Odessa, that's what happens when I run with an idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor
Summary: Dorothea went through a lot in her early years and it has made her heart cold, even when there's warmth all around her. The moment she sees echoes of that in someone else, she decides to reach out a hand and try to help.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 10
Kudos: 55





	Hearts Encased in Ice

Enbarr had mostly been a very warm city, or so it was during the time in which Dorothea had no place to call home but the alleys and streets of the Imperial Capital. Although most days and nights were spent in scorching, merciless heat of that summer that extended a tad too much, it was then that she had learned what it meant to be cold. 

The lack of love, of all the proper care and things a child her age should have made her small heart ache, burn with the same chilliness that ended up freezing her tears, stopping warm, confused emotions from taking her over. That was when she eventually ceased mourning what had been done to her, realizing she had been exposed to it before, to the cold that had emanated from her father whenever he as much as spoke to her. 

The familiarity, albeit scary and hurtful once she noticed where it came from, helped her accept that new reality, the undying, frigid winter which took her over and left her trembling, wounded by the callousness of others and their aloof altitudes whenever she tried asking for money, a piece of bread or a place to work at. None of those things were granted - in time her body mimicked her mind and her heart became numb and cold and too weak to warm itself up.

It was a sheer strike of luck that brought Manuela into her life, a small, flimsy flame that made some of that chilliness dissipate. Dorothea had been singing in her alley, close to the Mittelfrank Opera Company in that day, when the diva happened to hear what remained of her voice, the warmth that had once colored her notes and untrained inflections giving her some hope, some strength.

Upon seeing her state and hearing her story, the woman had taken Dorothea under her wing, bathed her, given her a home to call her own and a place at the Mittelfrank as well. There was warmth and fondness in the stares that Manuela sent her when they trained together, as slowly Dorothea became stronger and able to join her in duets. There was care whenever they hugged after stressful days and demanding directors criticized one or both of them to no end, the bitterness in their accusations threatening to dispel the love that was slowly warming the child songstress again. 

She remembered the chilly streets and chilly thoughts again when Manuela left her, years later. Once the diva of the Mittelfrank retired and went away with nary a word to Dorothea or the ones around her, the girl fell again into despair, into shivering nights and days spent in front of the crowd that adored her, that called her name and sent her flowers, chocolate, jewelry, rings and even money sometimes. They threw her their feelings, their lust and passion and desires that they called love, but all of those failed to warm her the slightest as they were nothing but embers that wanted to be flames. 

The warmth of those days was soon revealed as a false one, as false as the gold on some earrings she was gifted, or the words of love and promises of a great life that were spoken after her performances, after a night spent kissing one noble or another in the darkness of the theater. And no matter how sultry her partners were, how they burned with desire for her, she would always remain cold and numb.

The night she was frozen after a particularly great performance and the date that followed, with a noble she had flirted with for a while, fear rose at her, clawing its way through her heart with icy fingers. She wasn't frightened of her reaction, but at how flimsy and temporary warmth could be. How it seemed like she would be chasing it forever, unless she found a way to avoid the cold. To avoid the streets, the lack of stability, at all costs. 

Hence she looked for the one who had once supported and helped her throughout the worst of those years, who had succeeded in melting part of the icicle that had become her heart. The moment she learned through a noble or another that Manuela Casagranda was teaching at the Officers Academy, she knew her path was set. Thus she applied herself, studied all she had never had an opportunity to learn before. Garreg Mach monastery might be the solution to her problems, not only because it'd allow her to get close to her old mentor, but since it hosted people from all over Fódlan.

Surely amidst all of those spoiled rotten, little noble kids that attended the prestigious school, one wouldn't resist her charms, the light embers she wore on her face as a mask while her heart got colder and colder at each passing day. With that, she would secure her future and perhaps one day would get to find something akin to love. Something lukewarm, an illusion of the real thing that she had sung about with flames in her voice and in her eyes. 

It would be ok if that was the case, she had told herself while studying and, finally, passing the test. Anything was better than the numbness which had been threatening to take her over again.

She was accepted into the Black Eagles house, under the tutelage of a new professor, Byleth, and with Edelgard von Hresvelg as its leader. The moment Dorothea's eyes met vibrant lilac, she pulled away with a sneer. Edelgard was a princess, the noblest of all nobles, and the future Emperor to make matters worse. The last thing she wanted was to have to submit to that girl's wishes, to pretend to be her friend. 

Yet something in those eyes had spoken to her and continued to do so as days went by. Something… that whispered to her heart and made it beat a little faster than before. A little stronger, to dissipate the new chilly breeze which had run through it due to that single visual contact. 

Dorothea knew better than to assume, especially with snotty nobles, but she had a feeling Edelgard felt the same, what with how their gazes lingered more than usual whenever they happened to look at each other. It intrigued yet scared the songstress as well, for she was left with a cold sensation against her skin once they glanced away, back to the odd professor in front of them and the class they had ignored for almost a minute. 

It was summer when curiosity won over fear. When everything changed between those two girls who had learned what it was like to feel cold at such early ages.

Dorothea had heard of the fact that in the Officers Academy, the students were expected to perform little missions or assignments in the name of the church. Not only was it supposed to help them practice the many battle skills they had learned in class, but it also reminded them to help others, to be of service and an example to the society they would one day lead, mold or simply be part of. 

The Black Eagles had gone on a bandit hunt last month, which had ended very well despite her reservations about them having to kill someone. Sure, as archbishop Rhea would tell them later, those people had infringed the law and deserved to be punished and stopped because of that. Yet the chilliness of her words had made Dorothea recoil from it. 

The interesting part was seeing Edelgard do the same, though she hadn't seemed uncomfortable at getting rid of the thieves to begin with. 

The two girls had gotten a bit closer after that, what with how professor Byleth was keen on pairing them up as well, and Dorothea had to admit that the princess was good company as far as nobles went. It was the first time she felt respected and treated as an equal when dealing with someone who was theoretically in charge and more powerful than her. 

She was astonished ny how the House Leader would ask for her opinion on tactical missions and seemed to trust her when magic was concerned, even more so since thunders gradually started answering Dorothea's calls instead of the fire she could never really master or the ice that had lodged itself in her heart. 

As classes progressed and days went by, her magic increased and she watched Edelgard become stronger with an axe. Her movements were calculated and not an ounce of energy was wasted, the ice in her eyes reflecting something inside of Dorothea, too. Maybe because of it, the songstress found herself feeling more and more comfortable in her presence, seeking it out somewhat unconsciously whenever the cold grew and surrounded her, after a failed date or some flirting that wouldn't take her anywhere. 

Sometimes they spoke while sharing a cup of tea, the warmth from the beverage not enough to soothe them at all. More often they were silent, thinking, planning, studying, wondering. Wondering if it was ok to ask, to reach out, to really trust. 

The latter was decided in a battle one month after their first mission. This time the class had been sent to deal with a minor noble in the Kingdom, only to be met with encroaching mists that made everything seem peaceful for a few seconds. 

Too peaceful and still, before someone emerged from it and tried slashing at the professor, who was positioned in front of the class and out of the woods. After a second of surprise, everyone sprung into action and the battle began in those frigid grounds amidst the trees, the green fields and the mist which dissipated once the one responsible for it was found. 

Dorothea was focused, for once forgetting about the recent nightmares she had been having, palms open as magic flowed through her and Thunders hit her enemies, harming and burning with the intensity of her spells. Around them, around her, destruction and freezing death reigned. 

Inside her, her heart feebly protested against the cold that had held it captive for too long. 

She was panting once she got to the woods on her right, a place where she was sure there were opponents hiding. Indeed there were some, trying to make themselves inconspicuous behind huge tree trunks and deep foliage. Her magic found them regardless, before they could even notice her approach.

That was, until one did see and rush to get her, body taut with energy, sword raised and on a rightful path towards Dorothea's chest while she stood there frozen, somewhat unsure about what to do since she knew she couldn't outrun him. His steps echoed through the forest, a forewarning of his intentions, but she couldn't move for some reason or another. One second more and he would be…

It all happened so fast, Dorothea only made sense of it once the mission was over and the students were going back to the monastery. One moment the guy was there, face lit in his own flames of victory and pride, getting closer to her. The next, a small figure pushed her out of the way, then grunted in pain as the sword tore into skin. That was followed by an even louder sound when an axe ended that enemy warrior's life. 

Dorothea stood transfixed, watching her savior sink to their knees, breathing labored, one hand clutching their side. She blinked, mesmerized, and realized then who had come to her rescue like that - and was trying to get up and keep moving too.

"Edie wait, don't! You're hurt," Dorothea said, finally finding strength on her legs and rushing to the girl's side. She sat down on the floor and faced the House Leader, realizing how pale her completion was, how cold even though a second ago it had been altered by pain.

"It's… it's nothing, really," Edelgard mumbled, looking away and trying to avoid the mage who had spoken to her with a warmth she wasn't familiar with. 

"It's not nothing, you're bleeding. Here, let me see it -" Dorothea motioned to the part of her waist that Edelgard was covering with her hand. She would need the other girl to show the gash so she could heal it, what with how inexperienced her magic was at that point, but she could do a decent job of it at times. 

She reached out even when Edelgard didn't move, unsure if waiting that long was advisable for such a wound. Only to stop midact when the princess protested “No. Please, don’t.”

The words weren't exactly what made her halt, but the sheer look on the lilac eyes that seemed to reflect some of the chilliness on Dorothea’s chest whenever she looked at them. That time, however, she saw something else in those irises, not the strong, cutting cold that was usually there, but fear that had shown itself as thin, vulnerable ice which would easily be broken if not handled with care. 

Dorothea stood on her knees, looking at the princess and future Emperor of the Adrestian Empire in that rare moment of openness. It was scary how much she could relate to that, how her heart beat in tandem with the fragile ice in those eyes. Her chest constricted, painful, as cold rushed not inside of her own body, but against her cheeks, against her skin. Coming from the outside, from someone else. 

From someone who, perhaps, had not led a life of niceties and pleasurable moments only, as Dorothea had thought before. 

“I- don’t need to see it then, but please let me heal you,” Dorothea said in a much gentler voice, not completely sure about what the issue was but knowing she would get both cut and burned by that ice if she were to press. “Give me your hand, Edie. I want to help you.”

It was with reluctance that her suggestion was accepted, the cold in those lilac irises never leaving even if usually the princess would have already regained her composure and shut others out. Edelgard slowly put a gloved palm into Dorothea’s open, welcoming one and waited, willing herself to not shake due to the wound in her body and the ones in her heart. The ones that spilled ice into her bloodstream, even more so when white, soothing energy emanated from the mage’s hand and into her, making her immediately wince in pain and pull away.

“There is no need, I suppose. This is minor and I- I shall be fine. Thanks for the concern, Dorothea,” Edelgard uttered, getting to her feet again with a bit of strain. Her other hand had yet to leave her waist and some blood had soaked her white glove, making it red and ominous. “We should join the others instead.”

Dorothea took one second too long to follow, but did so even though her mind stayed behind, frozen in time, in wonder at what had just happened. She knew healing magic could cause some pain once the skin began stretching in order to mend itself. However, she was more than certain the split second in which she had used her powers weren’t enough for them to reach the gash on the other side of Edelgard’s body.

She spent the battle fumbling for an explanation, dodging other mages and using the new ice in her veins to power up her magic, letting its edges flow into her Thunders and newly discovered Thorons.

The only thing that came to her mind while they returned to the monastery through woods and trees, Edelgard half walking, half limping beside her, was that her general healing spell had tried taking care of other cuts. Maybe older ones that were located closer to the princess’s hands. 

That thought was at first answered with a chilliness that made her tremble even though summer was upon them and the evening was balmy. She was surprised at the warmth that followed it though, once her eyes found Edelgard’s and there was a smile on the smaller girl’s face. It didn’t reach her eyes, which remained numb, but made a spark, an ember, the flimsiest and weakest of flames to respond in Dorothea’s heart. A part of the ice that was there melted, just a tiny portion that allowed her to feel something else for the first time in her life.

That something, she would find out later, could be the beginning of love.

It didn’t take long for Dorothea to understand why Edelgard seemed to have a frozen heart herself. The night had been a festive one at the Dining Hall, with most of the House Leaders and other students celebrating the end of examination week.

Even the professors had joined in order to properly congratulate their pupils and more than enough food for a week was made and consumed. Mages had enchanted the candles around the walls so the place was flooded with lights in different colors, the flames mesmerizing Dorothea for their natural warmth, one that never reached her.

No matter how lively, fun and cozy that event was, none of it really touched her. Sure, her cheeks were glowing from the bit of flirtation she had done and there was indeed a smile etched in her face. Yet her heart ached and froze once her eyes swept through the room and she saw so many people who would never really understand the cold, that ominous feeling of being locked in a chilly winter like she did. No matter how many students and teachers were there, she felt alone, abandoned. Forgotten, though pretty much everyone talked to her and asked if she was ok.

It didn’t take a genius to understand why. Edelgard had said no to the celebration with a frown, the ice in her eyes and words back to being scathing and defensive. She had proceeded to make her way to her room without even grabbing something to eat, claiming she was tired and would rather rest. Sure, there were signs of tiredness all over her face for those who knew how to read them, like how pale her cheeks were and how her eyes were darker, more closed, more… pensive and cold. 

But being there without her was proving to be a challenge in itself. Dorothea needed someone who understood. Who seemed to understand, to begin with. Once she started shivering in place for the tenth time in that night, she got up, told everyone she had had a grand time but needed to catch up on her beauty sleep and strolled outside, somehow feeling warmer and more sure of herself out there than between all those people. 

Her feet glided over grass and stone, guiding her somewhere else instead of in the general direction of her quarters. She welcomed the change, the probable scenario that her mind conjured. Knocking at Edelgard’s door, seeing if she wanted to talk, being in her presence, perhaps discussing that thing about her healing spell on their last mission. Asking why the house leader hadn’t let anyone else heal her as well. 

And who knew, maybe she would get some answers. Maybe she would feel again those shy, tender flames that had shown up in her heart, rising from ashes and embers she didn’t even remember having, once the ice took over. 

Yet the moment she was finally standing in front of Edelgard’s quarters, her plans were abandoned and stayed only in her mind. There were faint noises of distress coming from inside, searing her mind with their intensity, with the pleading sobs that followed them and how fear made them chillier than anything else she had ever felt. She had a moment in which she was frozen in place, the cold inside of her answering to that call before giving away to a strange, unfamiliar warmth. That warmth made her move, gave her purpose, resolve.

Without waiting for a response or even knocking, Dorothea went into the room, locked the door behind her and, with a flicker of her wrist, was able to channel some fire magic into the small candle standing over the study table.

Her mild surprise at the feat, since it was indeed not that often that she did something like that, was cast aside when she turned to face the mattress and watched the princess tossing and turning, pleading and yelling, closed eyes contorted and pained for herself, for those she was trying to save and spare. And through it all, her words, screams and grunts were icy, freezing and burning in their intensity, in a way that challenged Dorothea to stand that new, strange cold which wasn’t her own.

She took the challenge with passion in her eyes, emeralds set aflame for the first time in her entire life.

There was a small fire in her voice when she called Edelgard’s name over and over, a litany that helped the warmth blossom and finally bloom into something new, something more that cut through the nightmares which had engulfed the princess before. It surrounded both of them in an intensity that, albeit scary and new, was comforting. The same could be said of how Dorothea embraced her, lying down in bed beside Edie, her Edie, soothing her with calming, grounding words. 

“I’m here for you, Edelgard,” the songstress whispered, running her hands up and down the other girl’s back in slow movements, drawing circular patterns. Braving the ice, the cold that pressed against her skin and her heart and was so unusual to her own. “You’re fine, it’s all ok and I’ll stay here if you want me to.”

“Please.” One word. One word that reflected something deeper, a need that had been frozen over time, that showed bruises, flames that didn’t really warm Edelgard up. The wish for being accepted and seen as she was, encased in a snowstorm that threatened to freeze everything around her.

Yet Dorothea stayed. Yet Dorothea’s heart melted a little more that night, as she mumbled words of care, words that sparkled something inside of her and fed the flames instead of the ice. Yet Dorothea chose to continue coming, to continue facing that storm and everything that it slowly showed her, once the snow started melting and giving away to the stone underneath.

It was a gradual process, stretched over nights sharing a bed as well as bits and pieces of themselves. The songstress was the first to talk and notice how giving voice to the cold inside of her allowed it to leave her mouth and return a lot warmer, not as cutting as before. She spoke about being abandoned and having to live in the streets, of being found, then losing herself again in spectacles that failed to keep her warm. And somehow Edelgard stood firm in that storm, feeling cold breezes cut her skin and her heart beneath it, bringing tears to her eyes more than once. 

It was worth it though, as there were visible changes to Dorothea ever since they first started confiding in one another. The taller girl was a lot more cheerful, yes, but also broody and sad whenever she needed to, two emotions that she had often kept away from others in the past. She cried when she had to, as the ice melted from her heart, poured into tears that left her cheeks numb but soon to be heated by Edelgard’s kind words and comforting touches. 

She freed herself then, bit by bit, tear by tear, word by word.

And when the time came for the princess to do the same, she wept anew once hearing about what had frozen the smaller girl’s heart. Of dark, endless dungeons that had imprinted their chill into Edelgard’s body even if she had been torn open too many times through those days, the wounds aching, pulsing with ineffective warmth. Of how once she had been hugged, cherished and loved by her family, only to watch them go away until she was the only one left, discarded, forgotten, a mere experiment to be toyed with.

The flames that Edelgard had gotten due to that whole ordeal weren’t enough to warm her and were often nothing more than cold, tough reminders of what had been. The same could be said of the scars around her body, scars that Dorothea’s spell had tried to fix but were unfixable all things considered. 

To say the princess was astounded when all of that was received with warm words and touches meant to soothe, instead of the rejection and scorn she had long suspected to get, was an understatement. That was when she cried, when she allowed the true flames that Dorothea was offering to melt her own heart from the cold that had held it prisoner before. So it went on, as they shared a bed and slept in a tight embrace, caressing and soothing each other only to wake up together and start the day again. 

The night in which their lips first touched, tender and soft, was also the one that marked a string of days in which they had laughed, danced, joked about each other and saw themselves free from the cold that had seemed to run over their lives for such a long time. The kiss was followed by others, longer and more passionate ones, setting a real fire between them that had been absent before, even if they thought they had experienced love and the likes when their hearts were closed off to the world. 

They touched each other’s bodies just as they had touched each other’s souls, with all the love and care that had been denied and taken away from them earlier on. Something that was repeated in the waking hours when their eyes locked in the middle of classes, as Edelgard paid attention to how professor Byleth coached Dorothea, Linhardt and Lysithea, the transfer student from the Golden Deer. It was a slight squeezing of hands before either of them were asked to perform a combo, to demonstrate a match or just go for a new mission. In meals, while they talked and shared sweets in front of everyone else, uncaring of what others might think. 

In that new light time passed a lot faster, as the two girls saw themselves no longer burdened by the coldness that had been there before. In that new dynamic, summer ebbed into autumn in a current of blissful days. That was until, in a particular early morning, Dorothea found her heart shuddering again once she turned in bed - in Edelgard’s bed - and found it empty this time. 

She bolted to a sitting position right away, searching for her lover with wide eyes. The room was small though, and there was nowhere to hide. Her body clenched, muscles tensing in anticipation, trying to ward off against the chilliness which for a moment threatened to take her over, to return to what once was and how it had been.

“E-Edie?” She called out, unsure, hating how her voice faltered at the end and lacked the warmth it had recently acquired. 

One second in silence and ice started traveling through her veins again. Maybe it would have taken over her heart once more, no matter how much she tried fighting against it with logical thoughts, if she hadn’t heard a warm giggle and some movement coming from underneath the bed.

The moment a speck of silver hair peeked at her from the edge of the bed, a shining smile on soft lips and love flaming through those lilac eyes, Dorothea’s heart beat again and the cold was gone. On her own mouth a smile bloomed, a rose with thorns and shining ruby petals as her irises gleamed, emeralds under the sun.

And all of that was only intensified once Edelgard was kneeling on the ground in front of her, a small cake in hand and a warmth to her voice when she said: “Happy birthday, Dorothea.”

There were no words to answer that. Dorothea had despised her birthday during her entire life and kept from truly celebrating it, usually giving some party or another in order to entertain guests and keep friends happy. Not herself, though - those gestures, no matter how grandiose, had never made her beam like that.

Even more so when Edelgard climbed in bed beside her and offered her the cake, chocolate icing with strawberries like she enjoyed, and two red candles on its center.

“Edie, I’m… you didn’t have to, you know,” Dorothea whispered, inspecting the messy handiwork on the dessert but finding each and every place where it lacked icing endearing instead of aggravating. How funny, when mostly she had ordered from the best bakeries ever when throwing a party for her birthday - and hated the results every time. “Did you make this?”

“I tried to,” the princess answered, blushing, her cheeks stained red with the fire of her adoration and her silly attempt. “It’s edible, I assure you, but… Oh, wait a second there please.” 

To the songstress’s delight, Edelgard stared intently at the candles, focusing as much as she could. She stood like that for a few seconds, lilac irises burning with her intent to the point that the candles were set aflame even before a gloved hand made its way closer to the wicks, magic running through it and making two small fires appear out of thin air.

“You… was that why you were paying so much attention to those magic classes?” Dorothea’s voice was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, all pouring from a heart which beat with love, with flames way hotter than she had ever experienced before.

When what she got in response was a shy nod and a quick peck to the lips, Dorothea was sure she would combust from all of that - though the feeling was short-lived since Edelgard rose to her feet again and told her to wait.

“I did place it somewhere around here, I’m sure,” the princess mumbled, going through her belongings while the songstress watched, bemused at that so simple, yet so kind and loving gesture. “Ah, there you go.”

“What? Whatever it is, Edie, you didn’t have to and all I really want is to spend some time with you, so please-” 

She stopped talking once the smaller girls hurried back to bed and sat down on it again, this time urging her to take something from her hands. 

Hands that were no longer covered by gloves, but exposed, warm and free from their cold constraints, from the shackles of the past that had frozen and kept themselves present to that day. They were positioned around a pendant, a medium-sized, heart-shaped ruby stone in a thin, delicate silver chain.

“Dorothea, I… I love you. I love you with everything that I am and… well, all I have to offer is my heart. Please, take it with you, my love” Edelgard blushed at that last line, urging her to pick up the pendant from her hands and watching as Dorothea’s green eyes were overflown by new, happy tears.

Tears that trailed down her cheeks, hot instead of cold, comforting and joyful instead of constricting and forlorn. Tears that fell on her own palms as she nodded, wordlessly accepting the gift and noticing that the pendant was warm as it made its way from Edelgard’s scarred, exposed and heated palms to hers. 

Tears that flowed as she mumbled, with the widest smile she had ever given in her life, "I love you too, Edie."

They stood like that for a moment, touching, enjoying the love that now engulfed them, a flame that didn’t burn, didn’t hurt, but comforted and nourished instead. The princess only managed to say something once they were both done crying, giggling at it and sharing tender kisses over the pendant they both held.

“There is more than likely another party going on downstairs, Thea. You should get dressed, I heard that professor Byleth talked Mercedes into baking you a cake. Surely it will be better than- “ She gestured at her own poor attempt, widened her eyes once that was received with a head shake and a quick peck to her lips.

“Shush, Edie. Let them wait, I don’t care.” Dorothea beamed, tracing her lover’s cheek with a thumb. Memorizing her face, the heat on her blushed cheeks and how comfortable that was against her hand, against her own singing heart. “The one thing I want right now is to stay here, with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> The tags say it a bit xD it was just a silly idea I had over the day and decided to see what would come of it. Thing is, Dorothea is a very loved character to me and I'd like to have something up in honor of her birthday. There you have it, then.
> 
> And happy birthday, Dorotheaaaaa!


End file.
